The purpose of this study is to highlight the 16th-century Hongil Yeokdae Gukdo Gangli Jido (混一歷代國都疆理地圖) as a representative example of material transformation in pre-modern East Asian cartography. In the early 16th century, the Joseon Dynasty adopted a newly imported Ming map known as the Yang Ziqi Ba Yu Di Tu (楊子器跋輿地圖). This was combined with a 15th-century map called the Ganglido, resulting in a new version known as the 16th-century Ganglido. Later, during the Imjin War (1592–1598), this map was brought to Japan, where it merged with Western-style cartography influenced by Nanban studies, ultimately transforming into a folding screen world map. This case illustrates how a series of maps were created using various materials—including stone engravings, woodblock prints, hand-drawn illustrations on paper or silk, and folding screens—as they traveled from China to Korea and eventually to Japan. The research focuses on Korea and its 16th-century Ganglido map as a central mediator in the circulation and transformation of maps during this period. It examines the material characteristics of the 16th-century Ganglido housed in the collection at Korea University, considering aspects such as materials, format, style, and mounting. Furthermore, the study investigates how the map underwent unique local adaptations, considering the socio-cultural contexts of its production and circulation. By doing so, this study explores how material culture influenced the formation and evolution of spatial concepts and geographical knowledge in pre-modern East Asia.

In the early 17th century, world maps introduced by missionaries like Matteo Ricci and Giulio Aleni significantly broadened the understanding of the world among contemporary scholars in China. However, these maps also presented a dilemma regarding their format: large-scale maps were impractical for dissemination, while small-scale maps could not contain the wealth of geographical information. This study points out that large-scale world maps created by missionaries had, in fact, a limited impact on the general populace. Instead, Chinese cartographers focused on producing small- and medium-scale maps rooted in traditional Chinese cartographic practices. Through an analysis of 16 small- and medium-scale world maps from the early to mid-Qing dynasty, this study explores the tensions between scale and content in premodern world map production. It also examines how Chinese scholars resolved these tensions to create maps that balanced market appeal with geographical richness.

This paper investigates the transformation of materiality in two early “Ricci Maps” and their reproduced versions prior to the well-documented 1602 and 1603 ones. Unlike these later versions, produced as large woodblock prints on paper, the earlier maps underwent diverse material transformations that have been largely overlooked in scholarship. Though initially overseen by Matteo Ricci, the subsequent processes of circulation and consumption of these early “Ricci Maps” far exceeded Ricci’s expectations. The encounters of local intelligentsia with the original maps led to their consumption, transformation, and reproduction, significantly transforming and localizing not only the maps’ narrations of geographic and textual knowledge but also their materiality, which consequently altered their methods and spaces of circulation—a change that has not been sufficiently noted. Specifically, these maps transitioned from their original medium of printing on paper to various forms, including stone engravings, rubbings, and inclusion in printed scholarly or utilitarian category books. These changes were fundamentally driven by local scholars based on their understanding of mapping, influenced by the local sociocultural and intellectual backgrounds and their academic orientations. This paper primarily analyzes the specific changes in materiality of these early Ricci Maps in their consumption and circulation process, along with the underlying reasons for these transformations. By highlighting these material transformations, the study underscores the necessity of recognizing maps not just as visual representations but as dynamic artifacts, emphasizing the profound impact of materiality in shaping historical and intellectual understandings in early Chinese-Jesuit mapping practices.